A successful Canadian comedian is fighting for the right to assisted suicide – claiming she has wanted to die since she was eight.
Claire Brosseau, 48, a successful actor and talk show star, says she was diagnosed with manic depression after a drug, alcohol and sex-filled binge, aged 14.
While in elementary school, she says she wrote in her Hello Kitty diary that she wanted to die.
Claire does not believe she will ever be able to overcome her mental health issues – but restrictions to a Canadian scheme mean she cannot access assisted suicide.
In an open letter published on her Substack earlier this year, Ms Brosseau revealed she has attempted suicide multiple times and has been treated by psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors across North America.
She has tried numerous medications, different therapies, and guided psychedelics, which would sometimes make her feel better, but ultimately, her symptoms would return – the New York Times reported.
Claire has also been diagnosed with anxiety, chronic suicidal ideation, an eating disorder, personality disorder, substance abuse disorder, PTSD and other mental health conditions.
In 2021, Ms Brosseau decided she would apply for euthanasia under Canada’s Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) program.
But patients whose chronic illnesses are solely mental health-related are not allowed to sign up.
People with mental health problems were scheduled to be included in the scheme after March 2023.
But the change has been delayed twice, meaning Claire might not have access to MAiD until 2027.
She is now taking legal action and has filed a complaint with the Ontario Superior Court alleging genuine rights violations.
Ms Brosseau was a popular honors student at her Montreal high school who starred in plays and was recruited to an elite theatre program.
After graduating at the age of 16, she moved to New York City to continue her studies at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater.
She managed to make good money by gaining steady work in musicals and films.
In her early 20s, she moved back to Montreal, where she had a manic-depressive episode and was hospitalised for several months.
Once her mental health began to improve, her career thrived as she appeared on numerous talk and radio shows, while landing supporting roles in film and TV projects.
Despite earning a lot of money and landing her ‘dream part’ in a European film, she said her mental health conditions still hindered her success.
She had a place to stay, was having fun on set, and was doing well on the film.
But she told the New York Times: ‘Every night I would go back to my hotel and I would bawl and scream and rip my clothes apart.
‘And cry and just — I wanted to kill myself, and I couldn’t wait to get out of there.’
After stumbling and smashing her face into a curb at the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards, she vowed she would get her life together.
She got sober, underwent treatment at an intensive psychiatric care unit, started a series of therapies, and began taking prescribed medications.
For several years afterwards, she remained in what she described as ‘remission,’ but when her career hit a low point in 2021, she attempted suicide again.
At one point, because her mental health was so poor, she ate peanuts, despite being allergic to them, in hopes of triggering a fatal reaction.
Shortly after this attempt, she decided to pursue MAiD, believing that mental health patients would be eligible for it in 2023.
She revealed her intentions to end her life during a series of ‘farewell dinners’ with her friends, family, and closest colleagues.
In hindsight, both the actress and her family believe she was ill ever since she was a small child.
Now, Ms Brosseau, alongside former war correspondent John Scully, who suffers from PTSD, is suing the Canadian government for the right to die.
She alleges the current MAiD law is discriminatory.
The filed lawsuit has fueled an already prominent and heated debate surrounding assisted suicide, with Ms Brosseau’s psychiatrists at odds over her case.
One of her psychiatrists, Dr Gail Robinson, told the New York Times that she believes MAiD is a reasonable choice for the actress.
Dr Robinson said that, although she would ‘love’ for Ms Brosseau to change her mind, she will ‘support her’ if she does become eligible for MAiD.
However, her other psychiatrist, Dr Mark Fefergrad, believes she can ‘get well’, adding that he does not believe MAiD is the ‘best or only choice for her.’
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